Ridgecrest Police officers arrested a 28-year-old Ridgecrest man Wednesday in the 500 block of East Commercial Avenue on drugs and weapons charges.

According to an RPD press release, Curtis Earl Staples is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of ammunition, possession of a controlled substance for sale and possession of a firearm while under the influence of a controlled substance.

Sgt. Jed McLaughlin said officers were dispatched to the 500 block of East Commercial Avenue regarding a subject possibly under the influence. Upon arrival, Detective Manny Castaneda observed Staples in an acting aggressive manner in the alley between East Ridgecrest Boulevard and Commercial.

McLaughlin said detectives obtained information which led to a search warrant being granted for Staples’ residence, and they located a loaded .357 magnum handgun and approximately 14 grams of suspected methamphetamine.

He said officers and detectives conducted a probation search Sept. 25, 2012 and arrested Staples for felon in possession of a firearm. He received three years probation and 40 days in jail in that case.

McLaughlin said officers were dispatched to the same location last month regarding a subject threatening a 6 year old with a firearm. Staples was identified as the suspect in that case. A search warrant was granted for his residence, however no firearm was located. During the service of that search warrant an amount of suspected cocaine was located. Detectives also located an expended 9mm shell casing outside the residence and several possible bullet holes inside the residence. He was arrested and booked at the Kern County Jail in Ridgecrest. He is out on bail in this case.

According to Kern County Superior Court records, Staples is also on probation in two cases for driving on a suspended license as a result of a driving-under-the-influence conviction.

He also has a case pending in the court’s Lake Isabella Branch. He is scheduled to be arraigned May 13 for driving on a suspended license as a result of a DUI conviction.